Example of population and sample in research methodology
Population:
In a research study focused on the effectiveness of a particular weight loss program, the population would refer to all individuals who are eligible to participate in the study. This would include all individuals who are overweight or obese and interested in losing weight. The population might contain both males and females of various ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Sample:
In the same weight loss program study, the sample would refer to a smaller subset of individuals from the population. For example, the researcher might randomly select 100 participants to be part of the sample. The sample should be representative of the population, meaning that it should include individuals of different ages, genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds to ensure the findings can be generalized.